1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to data processing systems and in particular to software installation. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a system, method and computer program product for performing pre-installation conflict identification and prevention for an application for an installation on a data processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Printers are very common. Many people have small printers connected to their computers, or have larger office printers on a network that can be used by many people. Typically, these printers use “cut-sheet” paper, which is paper that has been previously cut into individual sheets (e.g., 8.5 inch×11 inch letter-size paper). Beside these cut sheet printers, there are very large and fast printers responsible that print on continuous form paper. This continuous form paper is supplied in large rolls. These printers may print millions of financial statements or utility bills per month.
In certain circumstances, printer operators or service personnel need to print “test samples” to verify the proper operation of a printer. It is preferable to print test samples rather than print routine print jobs from the host computer, because print samples can be designed to show print quality problems that occur only rarely in the normal flow of print jobs. Print samples can also perform other functions (such as ink jet cleaning).
It is not uncommon for printers to have built-in test sample functions and patterns. For example, low-cost ink jet printers may have special ink jet cleaning test patterns or alignment test patterns that may be activated from the operator panel either with a push button or by pressing buttons when power is applied to the printer. Many of these are capable of being activated via a graphical user interface, which interacts with the host system, as it is also common for special print drivers to be shipped with printers that allow these special print samples to be sent from a host computer.
In the prior art, it is typically uncommon for printers to be able to print these test samples while in the middle of a print job. The prior art does not provide adequate solutions to enable the sending to the printer of a one-hundred-page print job, followed by, before the print job has finished printing, commencement of printing of a set of print samples, which would be followed by finishing the one-hundred-page print job.
For larger printers, many of which print on continuous roll paper, operators or service personnel should check the print quality every few hours of continuous running. These samples may show scratches or other print quality defects that have developed during the day's printing and escaped notice. Under the prior art, the operator of these larger printers is not easily able to use the operator interface to stop the printer, immediately run the print quality sample checks, then start the printer again.
The prior art provides no acceptable solution for the mid-job printing of print samples by the operator or by service personnel. Typically, the printer is running very large print jobs, which may run for several hours or even days. The ability to allow an operator or service person to stop a printer, print a test sample, and then restart the printer without any disruption in the print job is highly desired.